April 11, 2008 (LPAC)--While not explicitly referencing the destruction of Athens by its participation in the imperial Peloponnesian War, in his testimony before the House International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, yesterday, Bruce Fein, a former Reagan-era Justice Department official, made the point that the very existence of a republic is incompatible with perpetual war. During his testimony Fein thus elevated the question of Congressional war powers from the level of a legal, technical issue to one of the existence of the nation.

In a very passionate, extemporaneous statement, Fein told the panel, chaired by Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA), that the destruction of republics has been the excessive pursuit of war, and he quoted James Madison to the effect that a republic and perpetual war are irreconcilable, and the war against al Qaeda has no end. "Where's the case where a country has suffered from too few wars?" he asked. "It's always the case that it's too many wars that bring countries down." He concluded by telling the subcommittee that the responsibility of Congress is to defend the interests of the United states, not to become an empire.

The hearing was on the subject of legislation by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) which would amend the 1973 War Powers Resolution to more clearly enumerate the responsibilities of both the Congress and the executive branch on the matter of making war in order to improve Congressional oversight, which has been absent for about the last three decades. Jones said, during the hearing that his bill was an effort to have a debate and discussion about the responsibilities of Congress on the matter of taking the nation to war.